How To Start Fast Food Joint In Nigeria

Business Overview

Fast food is one of the businesses in Nigeria that has a high rate of return when it comes to making fast gains. Fast food majorly is an outlet for selling food and other belly related items. In most areas in Nigeria, they are popularly called Mama-Put. Let’s take white collar workers as a case study.

Consider “Mr. X” who is working for a multi-national company, and it is mandatory that he arrives work at a given time, and also close at a particular time.

Let’s say he resumes work by 08:00hrs and closes by 17:00hrs. Getting home he gets too tired but still wants to feed. He resolves to the idea of eating outside.

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This is just a case study to show you what some people especially bachelors are passing through. Now imagine there is a fast food joint around that area, Mr. X is bound to be a full-time customer to the owner of the fast food joint.

Profitability

The profitability rate of fast food business cannot be overemphasized. Remember that you get to buy these food items in bulk at probably a fixed price or at a lower rate, you come back, prepare it, and sell to people according to measurement. E.g. if you purchase a bunch of ripe plantain for N3000, you know that a single slice of plantain which you would sell would go for N10. Now, do the math.

Imagine selling each slice of plantain for N10 times the whole slices you would get from the whole bunch of plantain you bought.

At this point, we have not even considered the whole package of the plate which if it is being considered, we would see that you are making your money from each plate of food sold.

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Market Structure

For this business, there are two specific ways of getting your money. You can decide to own a shop or a layout where you have umbrellas for people to eat under, while you have a stand close to where your umbrella is located.

On the other hand, you can decide to be mobile. Being mobile in the sense that, instead of sitting at a place and wait for customers to come to you, you have the responsibility of going down to meet them.

Both methods are still profitable but, one seems to be more stressful than the other. The benefit of going mobile is that you would get to reach out to more people who cannot leave their place of work in search of food.

Take, for example, the bankers, site workers and other people on the streets who may be in their houses. In this type, you take the business to them instead of waiting for them to come to you. Any of them is profitable.

Demand Analysis

Recently, a study has shown that skipping breakfast is one of the worst things one can do to his/herself. Breakfast is as necessary as the air we breathe. Most people are so choked up.

They don’t even have time to finish up most of the office jobs talk less of going home to cook. It is on this note that one can see that, the idea of setting up a fast food joint is necessary.

The demand for food by people from all walks of life is high and anybody who can give them what they want, that’s who they are going to patronize.

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Competition

Nobody would want to eat something that is not pleasant to the tongue. You would agree with me that, not everybody knows how to cook but everybody knows when a meal is good and when it is not.

This breeds the aspect of competition. You have to be a very good cook to be able to survive in this zone of business.

How To Start Fast Food Joint In Nigeria

Technology Needed

Basically, there is no specific type of technology needed. Fast food just needs devotion, and focus.

Startup/Launch Tips

Before startup, there are some basic things you should put in place. These things are necessary and if any is being left out, you would definitely regret it. Let’s look at some of them

Business Plan

So that you don’t get into tight corners, you have to sit down and analyze what you are about going into. If this is actually the first time of doing this business, it is essential you ask from people who have been in it before you. Get to know the ups and downs involved in the business.

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Location

Earlier on, I talked about two ways of doing this business. If you don’t want to be mobile, then you would be left with the option of being in a particular location where people can get to see you.

Since it is a business that is concerned with the stomach affairs, your location should be in a place that is easily accessible and easily located.

When you have gotten the right location, the next thing you need is a name. your name makes it easier for people to locate you especially those that have been referred by other customers.

Finance Needed

For this part, let us focus on doing the business in a shop. You would agree with me that the finance needed here is that for the purchasing of items needed for startup. These items include; pots, spoons, plates, chairs and tables, table clothes, food ingredients etc.

Knowledge & Training Needed

Cooking is a serious business. The knowledge needed to run this business is not being taught in schools. You need to know how to cook because what you present to your customers is what either promotes you or demotes you.

Summary & Tips for More Profitability/Productivity

As a business that needs all your attention, it is good you have a few people that can actually work with you. These people would actually be your staff and they should be made up of people with same strength and people who are able to advise you in terms of business growth. Growing the business should be the goal of everybody.

When the staffing has been achieved, the next thing is the area of publicity. You just keeping your shade for people to see is already enough to help in publicity.

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But it is not a crime to go on different social media platforms to advertise what you do, and where you can be located. Keep customers by making sure that they are 100% percent satisfied. Remember, we are talking about food here.

So, ensure somebody can get something tangible with the little amount of money the person comes with. With this, you can beat every other fast food joint in the area.

Thanks for the time and do well to also read more business tips here

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